Tricks Of The Trade
by Meiousei Dark
Summary: Lovino became head of the Vargas Household after his parents were murdered, and by day, he watches over his little brother, Feliciano. By night, however, The brothers become Crime Lords, looking for any leads they can on who betrayed their family. Naturally, they have many enemies who would be after their heads, but who knows what tricks these brothers might have up their sleeves.
1. Birthday Celebration

Chapter 1: Birthday Celebration

Sunlight peaked into the window of the eldest child one morning, telling him, along with the rest of the world, that day was now upon them, and they should make the best of it. A mop of dark brown hair and a single curl stuck out from underneath the blankets, and the person attached to it really wanted to sleep in. He tried to go back to sleep, but there was a knock on the other side of his bedroom door.

"Master, it is about time you woke up." A feminine voice called to him from the other side.

Reluctantly, the one with the curl opened his eyes and tossed his blankets aside. The night before had been a long one for him, however, he knew that today was a very special day, and he couldn't get out of it, whether he wanted to or not.

"Alright, come in." He answered to the voice on the other side.

The door opened to reveal a woman with long, wavy brown hair, pushing a cart with tea into the room. "The tea I have prepared for you today is a Darjeeling blend with a teaspoon of milk, just as you would prefer."

The cart stopped next to the boy's bed. "Thanks, Elisabeta."

She smiled and bowed. "Of course, Master."

It wasn't until he finished his tea, that he noticed a boy younger than him, standing next to the maid, smiling. His hair was slightly lighter than the older one, and his curl pointed towards the ground. His eyes were closed, and he wore a huge smile. He could barley contain his excitement. "Fratello! Fratello! Guess what! Guess what!"

The older boy was well aware of what day it was, since he had been preparing for it for awhile now. "Yes, let me guess..."

"It's my birthday! I turn ten years old today"

The maid, Elisabeta, laughed. "He was up since early this morning."

"I can't help it! I'm so excited!"

Honestly, when his brother was like this, the eldest just didn't have the heart to ruin it for him, even though he always seemed a bit tough on the outside. "Lovino, what did you get me this year?"

That question threw him off guard a little. "Feliciano, you know that if I told you, it would ruin the whole purpose."

"I know that, but I am just so excited!"

"I can see that."

"So, when is the surprise party?"

Elisabeta raised an eyebrow. "Surprise party?"

"Well yeah. I overheard that you all were going to throw me a surprise party and it was supposed to be a secret...oh, wait."

Elisabeta couldn't help but laugh. "You sure know how to sneak around, don't you?"

Feliciano's smile grew bigger. "It's easy! I just have to be really quiet!"

"Yeah, I can see how you'd manage to pull that off." Lovino muttered under his breath, unheard by the others.

"Come on! I want to eat cake!"

Lovino sighed. "Alright, alright, let's go already."

"Yaaaaaaaayyy." Feliciano excitedly ran off into the main room.

Once he left, however, an air of seriousness filled the room. "Is it ready?" Lovino asked.

Elisabeta bowed. "Yes Master. We had it prepared for today's events."

She revealed a black box that had been placed on top of the cart. Lovino nodded. "Good. Let's go now."

Elisabeta nodded. "Of course, Master."

* * *

Later in the day, the party was about to take place. Elisabeta had told the servants that there was no longer a need to keep it a secret, since Feliciano had already known. The youngest child was amazed by everything he saw. They were really going all out this year. Maybe he shouldn't have eavesdropped when they were planning it.

"Um, Feliciano." The young boy turned to see that his older brother was the one who called his named. It seemed that he was hiding something behind his back. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Curiously, Feliciano nodded. "What is it, Fratello?"

"Um, I know this is a little early, but..." He revealed a black box out from behind his back.

Feliciano's curious expression suddenly turned into a huge smile. "For me?!"

Lovino nodded and smiled a little. Eagerly, the younger brother opened the box and saw a beautiful silver cross necklace with a big blue sapphire embedded in the middle. "...It's so pretty."

Lovino got down on his knees to his brother's height and removed the cross from the box. He put it around his brother's neck and spoke with a calming voice. "Fratellino, this cross is very special. It has protective qualities that make it a good charm to have around. You should only activate its protective powers when you're in danger. It's just a little reminder that I am always with you."

Feliciano felt like he wanted to tear up from that beautiful speech. "Oh, Fratello! I love it! Thank you so much!"

Lovino was tackled in a bear hug, which took him by surprise. However, he returned the hug, with a just as tight, if not tighter, embrace. The hug soon came to an end, and the two separated. "Now, let's get to the party already."

Feliciano smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

"Did you have fun today?" Elisabeta asked as she put the youngest brother to bed.

He smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait until my next birthday."

The maid smiled as she put took the candle with her and made her way to the door. "Good night, Young Master."

Feliciano yawned. "Good night, Elisabeta."

She then quietly shut the door to the younger brother's room, only to see the older brother standing in front of her. "Let's go. We have a big night tonight."

She nodded seriously. "Yes, Master."

The two of them made their way down the long hall, all the way to the wall, where a painting stood. It was a picture of the brothers after their family had died. Slowly, Lovino tilted the edge, revealing some sort of button. He pressed it, and the wall started to move, resulting in an open door. They started down the dark new hall, making sure that the door closed behind them. Lanterns lit their way, giving them light to see by.

Once they reached the end, they entered a room filled with people. In one corner, there was a blonde man with bushy eyebrows reading the newspaper and drinking tea. At a small table, there were two blondes, twins it seemed, playing a board game, and the louder of the two was obviously winning. On a desk near the opposite side of the room, there was a man with wavy blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, writing something down on paper.

In the kitchen, there were two people. One was a brunette man with a large smile on his face, making something, and the other had a ponytail and was eating dumplings. The last person was sitting in the far east corner, reading a book on Dictatorship. He had white colored hair and was radiating a creepy aura. The fifteen-year-old clapped his hands together and got everyone's attention.

"Alright, we have a big job tonight. The Ferro Family has betrayed our syndicate, so we have to get rid of them all. Am I clear?"

The one with the bushy eyebrows nodded. "Yes, of course."

"We will do anything to avenge the previous Head, aru." The one with the ponytail answered.

Lovino nodded. "Also, they may be withholding information on who killed my parents. We must find out and show them no mercy for betraying us."

Everyone nodded in unison. "Alright, let's get going! The night won't last forever."

And so, the fifteen-year-old Mafioso and his secret syndicate went out into the night, ready to pull of yet another big job.


	2. Secret Mafia

Chapter 2: Secret Mafia

His senses started to come to him as soon as he had slept long enough. Lovino blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sunlight. He didn't want to wake up just yet however. He could tell that something felt different, but it was the good kind. He felt a lot warmer for some reason. He blinked a few times and his eyes fully adjusted, but they still felt heavy. Lovino lowered his head and found the source of the extra warmth.

Feliciano was smiling up at him, as he apparently had snuck into his room in the middle of the night. "Buongiorno, Fratello."

Lovino blinked a few times, still feeling drowsy. "Feli...How did you get in here? What time is it?"

"Well, it was cold in my room last night, so I snuck out and found the key to your room. You were fast asleep, so I just figured you wouldn't mind. Also, it's about the same time you always wake up. What do you do all night that makes you so tired?"

Lovino couldn't answer that question for multiple reasons. "Never mind that. How did you break out of your room?"

"I picked the lock with a needle I found." Lovino blinked again, this time with surprise.

The way Feliciano had said it was so normal, as if it was an average occurrence for a child his age to know how to do something like that. Well, Lovino shouldn't have been that surprised. His little brother was the heir to the secret syndicate, after all. Lovino's eyes started to fail him, as they closed shut, needing more rest to activate properly. "I'm going back to sleep."

Feliciano yawned suddenly. "I think I'll join you..."

Before the next minute had passed, both brothers were already fast asleep. About a couple of minutes later, Elisabeta came down the hall, rolling the cart with tea on it. She stopped by the oldest's room and lightly knocked on his door. "Master, it is time for you to wake."

Silence filled the air longer than it should have. The maid was starting to get worried. "Master, are you alright?"

Still, she received no answer. She twisted the door knob and came face to face with a surprise. "It's unlocked."

A sense of worry started to fill her. She hoped that no one associated with a rival mafia had anything to do with it. Quickly, she opened the door, and came to a sight that was a rather adorable display. Lovino and Feliciano were fast asleep. Elisabeta had to summon all her willpower so that she wouldn't fawn over it, loud enough to wake them up, because they were cute just the way they were.

She smiled wide as she quietly pushed the cart over to Lovino's bedside. The maid was planning on leaving it there, only to remove it after they had woken up. Because when they looked that adorable, there was no way that she would even think about disturbing them.

* * *

The secret meeting room was filled once again. Lovino and Elisabeta had walked in and seen so. They didn't really have any big job to pull of that night, however, their hands had been stained the night before. A brunette man had stepped out of the kitchen with a huge smile that reminded Lovino of the one his brother wore.

"Alright everyone, I made some tomato stew."

The entire room groaned in unison. "Tomato stew again? That's getting bloody old, you know." The man with bushy eyebrows commented, never taking his eyes from the newspaper he was reading.

"What's wrong with it?" The brunette man asked, his smile fading.

"We literally have it every night, aru. It is my turn to cook." The man with the ponytail remarked.

"But I made it special for everyone."

"I can cook something if you lot are so distraught over it." The one with the bushy eyebrows commented casually.

"No! Your food is terrible, ahen!"

The man still didn't look up from his paper. "Tch. Fine, just have Francis make something then."

The blonde at the desk perked up when he heard his name. "Oh no, I am afraid I cannot at the moment, for I have received a visit from the Angel of Inspiration."

"Hmm, another one of your trashy romance novels, is it?"

The blonde at the desk immediately turned to face the bushy eyebrowed man. "They are not trashy! They are beautiful expressions of love that I have cultivated from my heart and onto the paper! Saying such things is insulting to, not only my work, but the works of countless romantics all throughout the world!"

The man smirked. "All I heard was trash and clichés."

The romantic rose to his feet faster than a bullet. "Listen, you British fool! You take that back or else you will feel the pain of my smacks!"

The Frenchman heard paper shuffling behind him. "And as Meredith stood there with a rose in hand, she could not wait any longer. Either she was to confess to her love, The Prince of the Kingdom of Night, Prince March, or it would all end with regret threatening to swallow her whole. The two Kingdoms of Day and Night were never allowed to mingle and, and citizens from both civilizations were forbidden from loving one another, but it was a challenge that the brave princess was willing to take on, in order to protect her love and her freedom. Dude, I hate to break it to you, but this is incredibly cliché."

"Alfred, you shouldn't be reading that without permission." A quiet blonde, who looked a lot like the man reading the paper, said.

Alfred scoffed. "Relax Mattie, I'm sure he can handle a little constructive criticism."

"It's just, your criticism isn't always-"

"Woah, Prince March fell in love with Meredith's sister? How messed up is that?" Matthew only sighed.

"I must say, I love reading stories of the romantic type. May I take a look at that?"

Alfred only shrugged. "Sure."

The white haired man started reading, and then chuckled darkly as he got through half of the page. "Stop laughing creepily! My beautiful work is not something that should be stained with your freaky personality!"

Lovino wore an annoyed expression as the fighting around the room persisted. Antonio and Yao argued over cooking arrangements. Arthur continued to make snide remarks at Francis, which only angered him further. Alfred and Matthew were getting freaked out by Ivan's creepy behavior. Lovino's eye twitched in annoyance. And to think that this all started over tomato stew.

* * *

"Fratello! Wake up!"

Feliciano shook his older brother with as much force as he could muster. Lovino's eyes blinked open a few times to adjust to the light surrounding him. "Feli, what is it?"

"You should have been awake an hour ago. I thought you were dead or something."

Lovino shut his eyes and sighed, tired. "I can assure you, I'm not dead. The Abello Family would have to do a lot more than that to kill me."

After he realized what he had said, he opened his eyes and saw a confused Feliciano, who had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh, I mean, I'm not dead."

Feliciano blinked once, and then he started lying down beside his brother. "Lovino, can you answer this question honestly?"

He cracked one eye open. "What?"

It was silent for awhile before Feliciano responded. "What do you do all night that makes you so tired?"

The eldest knew that he would ask the question sooner or later. He sighed. "You want me to answer honestly?"

"Mhmm."

Lovino sighed. "Let's just put it this way. I have a lot of work that comes with being head of the Vargas House, including some personal goals I have set for myself that I feel I must accomplish before my time is up. It's nothing you have to worry about, though."

Feliciano figured that the answer was good enough for now, so he nodded and smiled. "I love you, Fratello."

Lovino cracked an eye open and kissed Feliciano on his head. "I love you too, Fratellino."

And so, the two of them fell asleep together for the second time that week.


	3. A Game Of Cards

Chapter 3: A Game Of Cards

Page after page of Lovino's book went by as he spent his breakfast time inside his study. It wasn't required for him to attend a regular school, since he already had enough work to do as it was. To make up for it, he read educational books in the study. Feliciano also read books, because there was absolutely no way that Lovino would even consider sending his brother away to school, especially since someone from a rival mafia could assassinate him at any time, and Lovino wouldn't have that.

His little brother was a lot safer in the manor, because surrounding him were people who would protect him, even if he didn't know he was in any danger. He had no idea about Lovino's syndicate, and he wasn't going to know either. Lovino didn't want him in more danger than he already was. Footsteps were heard outside the hall, followed by Elisabeta, the maid and head of the house servants. She walked over to the desk and picked up Lovino's plate and cup. "What else did you have planned for today, Master?"

Said master lazily turned a page in his book. "Next I was going to go train with, I mean, play with, Feliciano."

Elisabeta smiled a little. "I see, and what, may I ask, will this playing involve?"

Another page was turned. "That would be target practice."

The maid nodded. "Understandable."

She walked over to the door to leave the room and take the plate and cup to the kitchen. "Elisabeta."

She was caught a bit by surprise, but nevertheless, turned. "Yes, Master?"

He hadn't once looked up from his book. "Make sure to get the guns ready."

She nodded, and then proceeded to the kitchen.

* * *

Once the trigger was pulled, a ping pong ball went flying across the room, only to come into contact with the center of a target hanging on the wall. "I did it! I hit the center! Did you see it Fratello?! Did you see it?!"

Lovino scratched the back of his head. "Yep, you got it. For the one thousandth time this year."

Honestly, it didn't take much for Feliciano to get excited. Throughout all the times they've played that game, he hardly ever failed to hit a bull's-eye. That just went to show that Feliciano was capable of more things than he knew was possible. Lovino just hoped that all of these so called "games" would help in the long run. "Fratello, do you want to try?"

Lovino blinked as he looked down at his smiling younger brother. "Um, no thanks, Fratellino, I'm fine."

Feliciano's smile faltered a little. "What? But I thought we were going to play together. Please?"

Lovino blinked, and realizing that he had no other choice, caved in. "Alright, fine."

Feliciano handed his brother the toy gun, which was specially designed for shooting ping pong balls. However, in certain ways, it was just like a real gun. With the way it was supposed to be loaded, it could be loaded up with several ping pong balls, just as a regular gun could be loaded with multiple bullets. Lovino loaded ping pong balls into the long dispenser and then put it back inside the gun.

He stood in front of his target and took a deep breath. He pulled the trigger and they all went flying. One by one, Feliciano could see as each and every one of the ping pong balls hit the big red circle in the middle, and he was amazed, as he had no idea that his brother possessed such skilled. After the gun had been emptied completely, Feliciano found it as the perfect time to start asking questions. "Wow! That was so cool! Where did you learn to shoot like that?!"

Lovino knew that he had to be careful with his answer. "Um...Papa taught me before, well, you know."

It wasn't a complete lie. His father really did teach him a few things with a gun, but what really helped him out was his experience with the mafia. Feliciano accepted the answer nonetheless. "Do you think I might be able to shoot a gun one-"

"No!"

The youngest was surprised by his brother's sudden outburst. Realizing what had happened, Lovino tried to fix it. "I mean...Who knows? Maybe you will get to shoot a real gun one day."

Feliciano's smile returned to him. "Do you want to keep playing?"

The enthusiastic smile coming from his brother was usually infectious and made everyone want to smile along with him. And so, Lovino gave a little smile of his own. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

Feliciano had to go to bed in a few hours, but before then, the brothers had decided to play one more game. They were currently in the parlor, sitting at a table and playing a game of cards. Feliciano may have been good at a lot of things, but cards really wasn't one of them. "Hey Fratello, where does the Jack go again?"

Lovino sighed, as he had already answered that question multiple times. "It goes with the Queen. I told you that."

"Is it true that all cards are ruled by the Queen of Hearts?"

"No, that is a storybook."

"Oh...Uh, where does the Jack go?"

A surge of annoyance ran through Lovino. However, he was able to calm himself, because he had to have patience for his younger brother. Time went by, and soon, an hour passed. "Hey, Fratellino."

The younger one looked up at his older brother. "What is it?"

Lovino put his cards down and proceeded. "Who is your favorite Alice in Wonderland character?"

Feliciano had to put some thought into that one. "Um, let me see...I like Alice, because she's pretty an she quickly adjusts to her situation. I like the Cheshire Cat because of it's huge smile. I also love cats. I also like the Mad Hatter because he's clever and witty, even when he doesn't make any sense."

Lovino was a bit surprised that his younger brother had actually thought about it, including good reasons for choosing those characters. Feliciano was a lot smarter than he looked, which Lovino considered a good thing. Picking up his cards, Lovino started a new conversation. "Did you know that life is actually a lot like a game of cards?"

Feliciano looked surprised. "It is?"

Lovino nodded. "In life, you are always dealt a hand, and it is what you do with that hand that decides whether or not you win the game."

Feliciano opened his eyes and blinked. "I never thought of it that way. That sounds cool."

Lovino knew how true it really was. After all, he had been dealt a hand, and now he had to win the came, no matter what. "Uh, Fratello?"

Lovino raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Please don't get angry."

"Why would I be angry?"

Feliciano hesitated before he smiled sheepishly and asked. "Um, where does the Jack go again?"


	4. Purely Innocent

Chapter 4: Purely Innocent

Today was the day. Today was the day Lovino absolutely dreaded.

The decision was not an easy one to make. However, Feliciano wasn't really doing well, intelligence wise, Lovino realized. It wasn't that he lacked smarts, per se, it was just that he never showed any interest in learning, and didn't care about studying much at all, which resulted in him becoming quite ignorant.

Lovino didn't want to decided on this, he really didn't, but in the end, there really was only one option that would work. He had to hire Feliciano a private tutor. He was reluctant at first, suggesting other, less effective options, and even countering with arguments that claimed Feliciano didn't need an education like that to be smart. Lovino just felt that a tutor would not be a good idea.

He was very closed in and didn't trust easily, so that explained part of it. He was sending a bored, skeptical look towards the tutor. She was a strict-looking woman with a brown hair bun and her outfit was definitely that of a teacher.

"So, you're saying that you can make my brother less stupid?" The House Head asked, eyeing the woman skeptically.

She nodded. "I wouldn't put it that way, but yes."

Elisabeta could feel the tension between the two of them as she stood next to her master. "I don't believe you!"

She honestly wasn't surprised to see her master being so blunt and straightforward. However, they couldn't turn her down now, it was already too late for that. "Master, we already paid for a tutor. We have to let her teach."

He stubbornly shook his head. "I don't want to!"

He may have been the family head, but Lovino could be such a stubborn child sometimes. The tutor figured that it was time for her to put her argument up against Lovino's hardly valid one. "Mr. Vargas, I can see why you would be concerned, but I am one of the Institute's top tutors. I have graduate degrees in Science, Mathematics, and Literature. If I am not fit to teach Feliciano, then I have no idea who is."

It was getting incredibly hard for Lovino to argue back, so after a minute of thought, he caved in. "Alright fine! But one slip up and you are out of here! Understood!?"

The tutor nodded. "Yes, of course."

Now, it was time to show the new tutor inside. However, before Elisabeta could get to the door, Lovino pulled her aside and whispered to her. "Keep an eye on her. That is an order!"

He never usually called his orders, orders, unless he was incredibly serious. So she complied. "Yes, Master."

* * *

"Alright, can you tell me what the Pax Romana was?"

Feliciano racked his brain until he found the answer. "It was a really good time in Roman History! They focused on art and music and enjoyed peace throughout the land!"

"Yes that is correct. Next question, how did the Holy Roman Empire come to an end?"

Outside of the study, in a nearby hallway, Arthur and Francis were walking, casting snarky comments at each other, of course. "I hate to break it to you, but your ideas are terrible. Honestly, why do you even bother writing novels in the first place? It's not like they'll ever be published."

Francis scoffed. "Tell that to your terrible cooking. I've never seen anyone actually like it. Also, I don't see you picking up any women with eyebrows like those."

Arthur's annoyance rose a little. "You just had to go there didn't you?! Ever since Ivan cursed me, you've never let me live it down. And while we're on the subject of appearance, your hair looks like a girl's! Where's your manly pride?!"

Typically, Francis would take offence to a comment like that, but what he saw once he turned the corner prevented him. "What is it?"

Arthur looked and saw that his young Mafioso had his ear up against the door of the study and was listening to the teaching session. Realization suddenly hit Francis. "Oh, this must be the day that Feliciano's private tutor comes to teach him. Lovino is so adorable, being a protective big brother."

Arthur had an idea. "He looks nervous. We should go reassure him."

The two gave each other knowing looks, since of course 'reassure' actually meant tease. Lovino didn't seem to hear their footsteps as they approached him. "Well, if it isn't the caring older brother. I must say, you look adorable watching out for him like that."

Lovino was a bit startled to find that they had snuck upon him without his knowledge, but was still ready to retaliate. "S-Shut up! That tutor looks very shady!"

Arthur smirked a little. "You say that about all the tutors."

"It's true about this one! You haven't seen her, so you couldn't possibly know!"

"Awww, Lovi cares. It's so adorable." Francis teased.

Arthur nodded, stifling a laugh. "If only Antonio were here. I know he would enjoy this."

Lovino had just about had enough. "She's an enemy spy! I can tell she is!"

"Now, now, you don't want them to hear you, now do you?"

Lovino could tell Arthur was right, and he hated it. The Frenchman and the Englishman had always argued with one another. However, on the rare occasions when they teamed up, they were usually out to tease him. "Tch. W-Whatever! Don't you two need to rip each other's throats out or something?"

Arthur shook his head. "Nope, not till three."

Lovino decided to try a different approach. "Let me rephrase that. Either you go back to ripping each other's throats out, or I will rip them out for you. Got it?!"

The two of them stifled laughter that threatened to escape. "Alright, alright. Honestly, you're so cute when you're angry." Francis commented as he and Arthur started to walk away.

Lovino's face brightened. "Shut up!"

* * *

About two days later, Elisabeta was ordered to watch the daily study session. The tutor didn't mind, and the day went on as normal. Or so it started out. "Alright, which country is the largest in the world?"

"That would be Russia! I heard that Russia is also very scary."

To Elisabeta, it seemed like a normal teaching session. However, she started to notice something strange. The tutor had a pocket on both sides of her dress, and they weren't very deep. Because of this, Elisabeta noticed a glint that was the result of sunlight hitting the object inside.

Elisabeta's blood ran cold for merely a second. She was starting to realize that her master had been right not to trust her. One thing was for sure though. Elisabeta couldn't leave her alone with Feliciano, not even for a second.

* * *

"Now, your first test is next week, so we have to finish these review questions. Why did China invent gunpowder?"

"Oh, I know! Because they had to keep Russia from stalking them!" He usually got them right, but sometimes, Feliciano's answers were a bit out there.

"Erm, no. Why don't you get out your textbook and we'll review."

Feliciano stood from his seat with enthusiasm. "Okay!"

He got up from the table and walked over to the shelf to look for the right book. This was her chance. The tutor took the knife from her pocket and advanced slowly and quietly. She was no ordinary tutor. She was an assassin that had been sent to take down the Vargas Mafia. The plan was for her to destroy what was most precious to the Mafioso, which would kill him on the inside, and then the mafia would kill him permanently.

She walked closer, the look of pure malice in her eyes. Unfortunately, Feliciano couldn't find the book, so he didn't even think of turning around. If she could get away with this, then it would be perfect.

"Young Master."

Quickly, the tutor put away the knife just in time to see the maid standing at the door, wearing a cheerful expression. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it is time for Young Master to have lunch."

The tutor nodded. "Oh, yes, of course."

Feliciano, exited to take a break from all that boring studying, excitedly rushed over to his favorite maid. "Yay! Do you think they'll have pasta!?"

Elisabeta chuckled a little. "We will see."

As the two of them left for the kitchen, the tutor felt annoyance at the lost opportunity. She had almost had him. If only that maid hadn't gotten in the way, her plan would have been executed perfectly.

One swift, undetected movement was all it took for her hair to be pulled down in a rapid motion, and before she knew it, her mouth was covered and she could feel the point of a blade against her neck.

"Trying to assassinate my Fratellino, eh? I don't think so."

The voice of the person speaking to her was enough to tell her that she had been compromised, and now her blood ran cold with fear that this ruthless Mafioso would kill her. "I'll ask you this once. Who sent you?"

He removed his elbow to give her a chance to answer, while keeping his hold around her neck. "I won't tell you. I could never betray them!"

He shoved the blade in further. "Answer the question, or die."

She couldn't even reach for her own knife because her hands were also being held down. Lovino pushed the blade in farther, which resulted in blood starting to spill. Finally, after choosing her own life, the tutor answered. "Alright! It was the De Luca Family! They wanted me to kill your brother so that they could kill you!"

Lovino scoffed. "Tch. You come into my house and attempt to kill the one most important to me, and on top of that, you even betrayed your own family! You disgust me, you bastard!"

It was then that the blade was driven all the way in.

* * *

Feliciano was searching around the humongous mansion, looking for his favorite big brother. He had some time before he needed to go to bed, and he wanted to spend that time with Lovino, because he usually had nothing to do at this time of night. There was a sort of aura in the air, however, that hinted that something was just a bit different. Familiar voices drew him over to a dimly lit hallway.

Shadows danced along the wall, and Feliciano was able to make out the familiar figures of his brother and his maid. It seemed they were both carrying some long bag-like thing, which seemed big enough to carry a human in. He was about to turn the corner to see what was going on, when he ran into his older brother, who seemed a little like he had been expecting him to come around. "Hey Fratello, do you want to play a game?"

It seemed like Lovino was trying hard to keep his calm exterior. "Yeah, sure. Go wait in the parlor, I'll be there in a minute."

Feliciano couldn't help but notice something about his brother's face. "Hey, did you paint without me?"

Lovino blinked. "Paint?"

"Yeah, there's red paint on your face."

Lovino's eyes widened a little, as he subconsciously put his hand up to it, trying to hide it from view. "Uh, no, it's not paint, It's dirt."

Feliciano extended his neck, trying to get a closer look. "But it looks red."

"N-Never mind that! Go wait in the parlor!"

"Alright, alright. You're really on edge today."

After he had left, Lovino sighed. "Come on, let's finish this."

Feliciano, of course, had no idea what had gone down earlier in the day. He didn't know it, but underneath his perfect world, there was an underworld, which held thing far more dangerous than he could ever imagine, and Lovino didn't want his brother having any part of it. The bright side was that Feliciano was protected from an attack, which would have resulted in his death otherwise. That alone made Lovino's day.


End file.
